When in Florence, Take the Cannoli

Alloro Bed and Breakfast, run by a father and son team, Lorenzo and Christian, offers spacious and comfortable rooms with quiet, unpretentious service in an excellent location.

A time-honored test of a great restaurant is whether the locals eat there. When I last had lunch at Ciro and Sons, a wonderful establishment within a stone's throw of the Medici Chapel, the dining room and the al fresco seating were full, including the dean of students from a highly respected university and the president of one of Italy's leading banks. The locals like it just fine.

What's not to like? Delicious food and intelligently paired wines served in lovely, frescoed surroundings by an energetic, gregarious, and multi-lingual staff at perfectly affordable prices. I could have eaten at Ciro and Sons every day of the week I spent in Florence (actually, I came very close to doing just that!) and would have been perfectly content. It's that good.

Traditional Napolitan-style pizzas are crafted on a wide granite counter and baked in a wood-fired oven with a glistening copper hood. The oven itself is a work of art as are the pizzas that come out of it. The margarita pizza and the vegetable pizza are particularly memorable.

But pizza is only the beginning of the menu. The homemade pastas are equally wonderful, especially anything with black truffle. The spagetti pomodoro, pasta bolognaise, and spagetti carbonara were all delicious, but I can just about guarantee that the lasagna is the best you'll ever have, unless there's an Italian grandmother in your immediate family.

And then there is dessert, which merits a beautiful glass showcase all its own, with a black truffle on a jeweled pedestal revolving in the center. The creme brulée is divine, the chocolate soufflé is perfect, the tiramisu is legendary (my daughter spent a semester in Florence and came home raving about it) and even the fresh fruit is sweeter and more delectable. But neither will you go wrong if you take the cannoli. The shell is crisp, the filling is sweet but not cloying, and the presentation is yummy with loops of chocolate and tufts of whipped creme topped with strawberries.

And if you enjoy a digestif, try a glass of Ciro and Sons' homemade limoncello.

Ciro and Sons is closed all day on Sunday and reopens Monday for dinner. Lunch and dinner are served on all other days.

In Florence, as with any destination, know and respect the local dining customs. Don't expect wait staff in Italy to introduce themselves to you or draw pictures with markers on your paper tablecloth. In fact, don't expect to see a paper table cloth. Expect to ask for the check; to bring it to you otherwise would be seen as rushing you. Expect service charges, sometimes seen as a linen charge, a bread charge, or a service charge. You will not necessarily receive an itemized bill, and there are no doggy bags in Italy.